USSEC Indonesia, in collaboration with the Indonesia Tempe Forum (ITF), successfully conducted a Focus Group Discussion & Workshop on tempe-related topics with young university researchers in Bogor on January 23 and 24. 13 young researchers from several universities who are doing the research about tempe to obtain their bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees attended this event. The objective of the meeting was to strengthen the knowledge on tempe and its production process, provide a clear understanding of the global and U.S. Soy supply, and to promote the advantages of U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP).
The first day of the workshop was filled with presentations and discussion sessions. Dr. Dadi Maskar of USSEC Indonesia was the first speaker. He presented the soyfood market situation and the SSAP. Professor Made Astawan, ITF Chairman, presented the “Current Update of Tempe Development at the National and International Level.” Muhammad Ridha, USSEC Indonesia, spoke about the tempe production process. The last session on the first day was a focus group discussion that allowed participants to talk about the detail aspect related to their research topics.
The second day’s activity was a visit to Rumah Tempe Indonesia to learn firsthand about the tempe production process. This session provided participants with the opportunity to observe and discuss the details of the tempe production process at Rumah Tempe Indonesia.
This activity is a new initiative implemented by USSEC in collaboration with ITF. Every year, there are many college students, at the undergraduate, master, and doctoral levels in Indonesia who carry out research in the field of tempe. Most of these young researchers do not have sufficient knowledge about tempe, due to limited learning about tempe at their respective universities. This activity provides an opportunity for the young researchers to strengthen their knowledge of tempe and speak in detail with experts in the field of tempe. The participants provided positive feedback on this activity. They were grateful and obtained many benefits by participating in this activity, suggesting that activities such as this could be carried out on a regular basis.